Wire container

ABSTRACT

A wire container includes a shell for containing a wire and a reel substantially installed in the shell for winding the wire. The shell consists of two halves. At least one of the halves includes two cutouts defined therein so that two holes are defined in the shell when the halves are assembled. The reel includes two knobs for insertion in a hole defined in each of the halves. Each of the knobs includes two studs projecting from a side thereof. The studs of one of the knobs can be engaged with the studs of the remaining one of the knobs. The wire container includes a position retainer for retaining the wire in a desired wound position. The position retainer includes a number of teeth formed on one of the halves and a number of teeth formed on one of the knobs for engagement with the teeth formed on the half.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of Invention

[0002] The present invention is related to a wire container.

[0003] 2. Related Prior Art

[0004] In a modem office or residence, we can always see a lot oftelephone lines, network cables or wires. These lines, cables and wiresoften get tangled with one another, thus causing troubles for peopletrying to maintain or repair devices connected with them. It isdifficult for people to clean and keep these lines, cables and wires ina good order. To solve this problem, some people wind these lines, wiresand cables and then tie them with iron threads. However, such anoperation takes a lot of time. This is more so when a user want torelease more length from a coil of line, wire or cable. Before the canrelease more length from a coil of line, cable or wire, he or she has tountie the coil. After releasing more length from the coil of line, cableor wire, the user has to tie the coil again. This way of preventinglines, cables and wires from tangles is obviously troublesome andtime-consuming. Furthermore, these coils do not look pretty.

[0005] The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or atleast alleviate the drawbacks encountered in preventing lines, cablesand wires from tangles.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0006] It is an objective of the present invention to provide acontainer for a wire so that the wire does not get tangled with anotherwire.

[0007] It is another objective of the present invention to provide awire container that winds a wire in a time-effective and convenientmanner.

[0008] It is another objective of the present invention to provide anaesthetic wire container.

[0009] In the present invention, a wire container includes a shell forcontaining a wire and a reel substantially installed in the shell forwinding the wire. The shell includes two holes defined therein forreceiving the wire.

[0010] The shell consists of two halves for engagement with each other.One of the halves includes a number of plugs projecting an edge thereofand the remaining one of the halves includes a number of sockets formedalong an edge thereof for engagement with the plugs. At least one of thehalves includes two cutouts defined therein so that two holes aredefined in the shell when the halves are assembled.

[0011] The reel includes two knobs for insertion in a hole defined ineach of the halves for engagement with each other. Each of the knobsincludes two studs projecting from a side thereof. The studs of one ofthe knobs can be engaged with the studs of the remaining one of theknobs. The studs of one of the knobs each include a space definedtherein and a latch formed at an end thereof. The studs of the remainingone of the knobs each include a guide projecting from an end thereof anda hook projecting from guide. The guides can be inserted in the spacesfor allowing smooth rotation of the knob relative to the knob so thatthe latches can be engaged with the hooks.

[0012] The wire container includes a position retainer in order toretain the wire in a desired wound position. The position retainerincludes a number of teeth formed on one of the halves and a number ofteeth formed on one of the knobs for engagement with the teeth formed onthe half. The knob with teeth includes a number of elastic jawsextending from a periphery thereof each for supporting one of the teethof the knob. Each of the elastic jaws is formed by slit cut into theknob.

[0013] The wire container includes a position indicator for indicatingthe wound position of the wire. The position indicator includes a markformed on one of the halves and a mark formed on one of the knobs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] The present invention is described through detailed illustrationof embodiments referring to the attached drawings wherein:

[0015]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire container of the presentinvention;

[0016]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the wire container of FIG. 1;

[0017]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the wire container of FIG. 1;

[0018]FIG. 4 is a side view of the wire container of FIG. 1;

[0019]FIG. 5 is a partially cross-sectional top view of a reel used inthe wire container of FIG. 4;

[0020]FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but showing a differentposition.

[0021]FIG. 7 is a partially cross-sectional bottom view of the wirecontainer of FIG. 1 without a lower half of a shell of the wirecontainer; and

[0022]FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but showing a differentposition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023]FIG. 1 shows a wire container according to the present inventionfor winding and containing a telephone line, a network cable or a wiresuch as that is identified by a number “50” in FIGS. 3, 7 and 8.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 2, the wire container includes a shell forcontaining a wire as the wire 50. The shell consists of two halves 10and 30. The half 10 includes a number of plugs 15 projecting an edgethereof. The half 30 includes a number of sockets 35 formed along anedge thereof. The plugs 15 can be inserted in the sockets 35, thusforming a shell as shown in FIG. 1. Two cutouts 12 and 13 (see FIG. 3)are defined in the half 10. Similarly, two cutouts 32 and 33 are definedin the half 30. When the halves 10 and 30 are assembled, the cutouts 12and 32 together become a hole, and the cutouts 13 and 33 together becomea hole. These holes are used to receive a wire such as the wire 50.

[0025] The wire container includes a reel for winding a wire such as thewire 50, thus pulling the wire into the shell in directions as indicatedby arrows A and B in FIGS. 3, 4, 7 and 8. The reel is made of knobs 20and 40. The knob 20 includes two studs 24 projecting from a sidethereof. Similarly, the knob 40 includes two studs 42 projecting from aside thereof. The studs 24 can be engaged with the studs 42 in a mannerto be described in detail, thus forming two cylinders. A wire can be putbetween the cylinders so that it can be wound on the cylinders in amanner to be described in detail.

[0026] Each stud 24 includes a space 240 defined therein and a latch 242formed at an end 240 thereof. Each stud 42 includes a guide 43projecting from an end thereof and a hook 431 formed on a side of theguide 43. To engage the knob 20 with the knob 40, the guides 43 areinserted in the spaces 240. Referring to FIG. 5, the guides 43 arepositioned against internal sides of the studs 24 for allowing smoothrotation of the knob 20 relative to the knob 40. Now, the latches 242are not engaged with the hooks 431 so that the studs 24 are not engagedwith the studs 42. The knob 20 can be rotated relative to the knob 40until reaching a position as shown in FIG. 6. In this position, thelatches 242 are engaged with the hooks 431, thus engaging the studs 24with the studs 42.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 2, to assemble the shell with the reel, a hole11 is defined in the half 10 for receiving the studs 24, and a hole 31is defined in the shell 30 for receiving the studs 42.

[0028] To wind a wire such as the wire 50 by means of the wirecontainer, the wire is positioned between the halves 10 and 30 beforethe halves 10 and 30 are assembled into a shell by engagement of theplugs 15 with the sockets 35. The wire 50 is inserted in the hole causedby the cutouts 12 and 32 and the hole caused by the cutouts 32 and 33.The studs 24 are engaged with the studs 42. The wire 50 is positionedbetween the cylinders formed of the studs 24 and 42 as shown in FIG. 7.The reel made of the knobs 20 and 40 can be rotated in order to wind thewire 50 as shown in FIG. 8.

[0029] To retain the wire 50 in a desired wound position, a positionretainer is devised and shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The position retainerincludes a number of teeth 110 formed on the half 10 and a number ofteeth 26 formed on the knob 20. The teeth 26 can be engaged with acorresponding number of the teeth 110 in order to retain the reel in oneof various positions relative to the shell, thus the wire 50 in adesired one of various wound positions. In the knob 20, a number ofslits can be defined each in the vicinity of a tooth 26, thus formingelastic jaw 21s each for supporting a teeth 26.

[0030] To indicate the wound position of the wire 50, a positionindicator is devised. The position indicator includes a mark 14 formedon the half 10, a mark 22 on the knob 20, a mark 34 on the half 30, anda mark 41 on the knob 40 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0031] The preferred embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed in detail for purposes of illustration. Those skilled in theart can derive a lot of variations from these embodiments after a studyof this patent specification. Therefore, these embodiments shall by nomeans limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of the presentinvention can only be defined in the claims attached to and taken as aportion of this patent specification.

1. A wire container including a shell for containing a wire and a reelsubstantially installed in the shell for winding the wire.
 2. The wirecontainer according to claim 1 wherein the shell includes two holesdefined therein for receiving the wire.
 3. The wire container accordingto claim 1 wherein the shell consists of two halves (10, 30) forengagement with each other.
 4. The wire container according to claim 3wherein one of the halves (10) includes a number of plugs (15)projecting an edge thereof and the remaining one of the halves (30)includes a number of sockets (35) formed along an edge thereof forengagement with the plugs (15).
 5. The wire container according to claim4 wherein at least one of the halves (10; 30) includes two cutouts (12,13; 32, 33) defined therein so that two holes are defined in the shellwhen the halves 10 and 30 are assembled.
 6. The wire container accordingto claim 1 the reel includes two knobs (20, 40) for insertion in a hole(11; 31) defined in each of the halves (10, 30) for engagement with eachother.
 7. The wire container according to claim 6 wherein each of theknobs (20, 40) includes two studs (24; 42) projecting from a sidethereof, and the studs (24) of one of the knobs (20) can be engaged withthe studs (42) of the remaining one of the knobs (40).
 8. The wirecontainer according to claim 7 wherein the studs (24) of one of theknobs (20) each include a space (240) defined therein and a latch (242)formed at an end (240) thereof, and the studs (42) of the remaining oneof the knobs (40) each include a guide (43) projecting from an endthereof and a hook (431) projecting from guide (43), and the guides (43)can be inserted in the spaces (240) for allowing smooth rotation of theknob (20) relative to the knob (40) so that the latches (242) can beengaged with the hooks (431).
 9. The wire container according to claim 6including a position retainer in order to retain the wire in a desiredwound position.
 10. The wire container according to claim 9 wherein theposition retainer includes a number of teeth (110) formed on one of thehalves (10) and a number of teeth (21) formed on one of the knobs (20)for engagement with the teeth (110) formed on the half (10).
 11. Thewire container according to claim 10 wherein the knob (20) with teeth(26) includes a number of elastic jaws (21) extending from a peripherythereof each for supporting one of the teeth (26) of the knob (20). 12.The wire container according to claim 11 wherein each of the elasticjaws (21) is formed by slit cut into the knob (20).
 13. The wirecontainer according to claim 6 including a position indicator forindicating the wound position of the wire.
 14. The wire containeraccording to claim 13 wherein the position indicator includes a mark(14; 34) formed on one of the halves (10; 30) and a mark (22; 41) formedon one of the knobs (20; 40).